| Friday, February 28, 2025
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New and exciting activities in the
McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences
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Recent News from MCSS Fellows
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WashU-led astrophysics mission lands its spot on space station
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The Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder for the International Space Station (TIGERISS) was officially assigned an attachment location on the Columbus laboratory module of the International Space Station (ISS). This location assignment is a milestone on the path to a targeted 2027 launch date, researchers said.
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“TIGERISS is finally real to the ISS,” said Brian Rauch, research associate professor of physics in Arts & Sciences and principal investigator for the project. Rauch has led the TIGERISS mission since it was selected for development under the NASA Astrophysics Pioneers program in 2022.
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High-Flying Science: How and Why We Sent a Refrigerator Halfway to Space
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NIST had previously developed tools called transition edge sensors (TES), which only work at extremely cold temperatures. Researchers use these sensors to study anything from a remnant of the Big Bang, known as the cosmic microwave background, to X-rays and gamma-rays coming from distant supernovas and black holes.
Ephraim Gau recently wrote an article about Dr. TES, Henric Krawczynski's balloon borne mission that flew from New Mexico last summer.
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Makongoro Secondary School, Tanzania
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In early February, Tom Stein captivated science club students at Makongoro Secondary School in Nyamuswa, Tanzania, with a talk on robotic Mars research. He explained how rovers journey to Mars, their operations once they arrive, and the valuable research they enable. Tom also highlighted how science teams collaborate to make daily decisions for the rovers.
The students were highly engaged during the talk, eagerly participating in a lengthy question session afterward. Their questions covered a range of topics, from conditions on Mars and the potential for life, to human habitation, long-term research goals, and even the idea of colonizing the planet.
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Tom’s visit to the school was part of a broader trip with his wife to observe Project Zawadi programs in person. Project Zawadi, a U.S.-based non-profit, partners with Tanzanian communities, schools, and teachers, providing student scholarships, post-secondary apprenticeships, teacher training, and student empowerment clubs. The couple first learned about the organization during their initial trip to Tanzania in 2015, when they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and went on a safari.
The talk made a lasting impression on the students, sparking curiosity and excitement about Mars exploration and future scientific projects. Tom's visit highlights the importance of cross-cultural exchange and sharing knowledge, inspiring the next generation of scientists and explorers.
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Congratulations to all the students who submitted FINESST proposals for the current round!
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| Student | Project Title | Faculty Mentor |
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| Minju Sim |
Numerical Study of the Polarized Emission of the Crab Pulsar | Alex Chen | | Chun Huang | Systematic Modeling of Neutron Star Magnetospheres using Multiwavelength Data | Alex Chen | | Aysu Ece Sarıcaoğlu | Star-Bound Primordial Black Holes as a Probe of Dark Matter | Tansu Daylan | | Nathan Whitsett | Stellar Flares & Exoplanets in Multi-Wavelength Photometry: Refining our view of the star-planet connection | Tansu Daylan | | Aaroodd Ujjayini Ramachandran |
Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter in the Early Universe: From Non-Standard Interactions to Astrophysical Constraints | Bhupal Dev | | Ben de Jonge | Mapping Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Jets using the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer | Manel Errando | | Olive Zhang | Search for anisotropic pair halos associated with blazar jets. | Manel Errando | | Maitreya Kundu |
Construction of Relativistic Models of Emergent Spectra and Polarization Signatures in Accreting Black Hole Systems with Accretion Disk Substructures | Henric Krawczynski | | Shravan Vengalil Menon | Development of a Next-Generation Imaging Hard X-ray Polarimeter | Henric Krawczynski | | Hamta Farrokhi Larijan | Hard X-Ray Optics Design Using Kirkpatrick-Baez Silicon Pore Optics and Ni-Based Multilayer Coatings | Henric Krawczynski | | Shashwat Sourav |
Magnetohydrodynamics Learning is better than Machine Learning for Accurate Reconstruction of three-dimensional Magnetic Fields from Line-of-Sight Magnetograms | Henric Krawczynski | | Argen Detoito | Narrow Field-of-View Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy of Supernova Nucleosynthesis using Position-Sensitive Transition-Edge Sensors | Henric Krawczynski | | John Grover | Testing Bulk Flow Comptonization Models for Polarized X-Ray Emission from Black Holes | Henric Krawczynski | | Seth Larner | Time-domain Signatures of Non-Thermal Inverse Comptonization in Black Hole X-Ray Binaries | Michael Nowak | | Jing Xue | Spin and polarization in soft state black holes: comparisons of 4U1957 + 11, LMC X-1, and LMC X-3 | Michael Nowak | | Nicole Osborn | A Leaky-Box Galactic Propagation Tool to Support Current and Future Galactic Cosmic-Ray Measurements | Brian Rauch | | Maggie Hinkston | An Information Theoretic Approach to Biosignatures | Alex Bradley | | Copland Yong | Experimental Approaches to Study the Water-Rock Interactions in Lunar Polar Region | Brad Jolliff & Alian Wang | | Stephanie Zhang | Investigation of the Geological Implications of a unique Picritic Glass Bead from Apollo 17 Double-Drive Tube | Mike Krawczynski | | Gabrielle Adams |
Condensation of the elements under reducing conditions with applications to presolar grains and enstatite chondrites | Katharina Lodders | | Judy Zhang |
Deep Earth volatile heterogeneities from accretion and long-term transport: insights from heavy noble gas isotope systematics of Central Indian Ridge basalts | Rita Parai | | Henry Dawson | Serpentinization on the Seafloors of Icy Moons | Phil Skemer | | Megan Broussard | Experimental Investigation of the Isotopic Effects of Space Weathering on the Moon | Kun Wang | | Xuanyu Liu | Developing in-situ Rb-Sr dating on lunar meteorites and Apollo samples | Kun Wang |
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Recent Publications by MCSS Fellows
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Competitive and cooperative effects of chloride on palladium(II) adsorption to iron (oxyhydr)oxides: Implications for mobility during weathering
Wright, Emily G.; Flynn, Elaine D.; Catalano, Jeffrey G.; et al.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 391 pp.203-217 Feb 2025
Large volume torsion (LVT) apparatuses for rock deformation at high pressure and temperature
Skemer, Philip; Couvy, Helene; et al.
Review of Scientific Instruments 96 (2) 023903 Feb 2025
Lake energy balance response to 21st century warming in the tropical high Andes
Sae-Lim, Jarunetr (Nadia); Konecky, Bronwen L.; et al.
Global and Planetary Change 248 May 2025 Article 104741
Potassium isotopic compositions and model exposure ages of lunar soils
Wang, Kun; Tian, Zhen; Broussard, Megan; Neuman, Mason; Koefoed, Piers; Pravdivtseva, Olga; Korotev, Randy L.; Jolliff, Bradley L.; et al.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 2025
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| A 20 m spatial resolution peatland extent map of Alaska
Lara, Mark J.; Michaelides, Roger; et al.
Scientific Data 12 (1) 226 Feb 2025
Cyclical accretion regime change in the slow X-ray pulsar 4U 0114+65 observed with Chandra
Sanjurjo-Ferrin, G.; Nowak, M.; et al.
Astronomy & Astrophysics 694 A192 Feb 2025
Collection and In Situ Analyses of Regolith Samples by the Mars 2020 Rover: Implications for Their Formation and Alteration History
Hausrath, E. M.; VanBommel, S. J.; Knight, A.; et al.
Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets 130 (2) e2023JE008046 Feb 2025
Complex Adsorption Behavior of Neodymium and Ytterbium on Structurally-Distinct Alumina Surfaces
Fang, Yihang; Ledingham, Greg J.; Catalano, Jeffrey G.; et al.
Environmental Science & Technology Feb 2025
Metasomatic Alteration of Type 3 Ordinary and Carbonaceous Chondrites
Krot, A.N.; Pravdivtseva, O.V.; et al.
Space Science Reviews 221 (1) Feb 2025 Art. 7
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Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
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MCSS offers ten Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships, five to students in EEPS and five to students in Physics.
This fellowship is geared toward undergraduate students who may be considering graduate school. McDonnell Center faculty fellows guide the student on a specific space-science-related research project during the summer. Students interested in applying should discuss potential research with a McDonnell Center faculty member. The term is for ten weeks in the upcoming summer.
Application deadline: March 28th.
Please note that the MCSS website will be undergoing maintenance on March 3rd and 4th, and will be unavailable during that time. We recommend submitting your application either before or after these dates.
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Research Development Associate (Hybrid)
Arts & Sciences - Space Sciences
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WashU will be hiring a Research Development Associate who will work with the faculty of MCSS, Physics, and Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences to identify opportunities to propose to mission programs such as are available through NASA’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES), through the National Science Foundation (NSF), or through other agencies or foundations.
If you know anyone interested in applying, please share the link!
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Submit Videos for the New 3D Monitor
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Have you seen the new holographic fan on the first floor of Rudolph Hall? It's located in an alcove across from the Grossman Mineral Museum.
Thanks to a generous donation from Jerrold and Marsha Grossman, EEPS has acquired this advanced technology. The plan is to highlight students engaged in research.
We would love to have your help with video creation!
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Harnessing the strong force: Physics at America's future Electron-Ion Collider
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Saturday Science Lecture
Stella Schindler
Los Alamos National Lab
Saturday, March 1
10:00am, Crow 201
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| The Origin of Life: From Chemistry
to Biology on the Early Earth
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Weissman Lecture
Jack Szostak
University of Chicago
Monday, March 3
4:30pm, Wrighton 300
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A Primordial RNA Alphabet
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Weissman Lecture
Jack Szostak
University of Chicago
Tuesday, March 4
11:00am, McMillen Labs 311
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| Towards a Holistic Understanding of Sub-Neptunes Chaos
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Space Sciences/Astrophysics Seminar
Rafael Luque
University of Chicago
Friday, March 7
9:00am, Compton 241
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Subscribe to the MCSS Messenger
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| McDonnell Center Contacts |
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Compiled and edited by Alison Verbeck. Please send any contributions to alison@wustl.edu.
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